insights | 07.07.2025

How Bedford businesses can ride the Universal Studios wave

Article topics

Universal Studios UK: What you need to know
How Universal Studios UK can benefit your business
How to capitalise on the visitors Universal Studios UK will bring to Bedford

We were so excited to hear the news about Universal Studios coming to Bedford!

As a Bedford-based digital marketing agency, we’ll be one of the first to visit the theme park when it opens.

We predict that it will lead to a massive uplift for all types of businesses in the town, as well as the surrounding areas. And now is the perfect time to start updating your marketing strategy in preparation for the launch.

Join us as we share our top five tips for taking advantage of the footfall this amazing new development will bring.

Universal Studios UK: What you need to know

Source

Bedford will be the location for Universal Studios’ first-ever theme park and resort in the UK and Europe.

The planned plot is three miles south of Bedford town centre and includes the former Kempston Hardwick brickworks.

The resort will include a theme park with several themed areas, along with a 500-room hotel and retail, dining, and entertainment complex. There will also be railway and road developments as part of the works, including an expanded Wixams station and new A421 slip roads.

A planning proposal is soon set to be submitted to the UK Government and if approved, construction will begin in 2026, with an anticipated opening date of 2031.

How Universal Studios UK can benefit your business

It’s estimated that Universal Studios UK will generate nearly £50 billion of economic benefit to the UK, with visitors coming from all over the world.

The theme park will be one of the largest employers in the region, with four out of five employees coming from the Bedford and Bedfordshire area.

This means a lot of extra footfall to Bedford, which local businesses, from tradespeople to hotels, can take advantage of.

How to capitalise on the visitors Universal Studios UK will bring to Bedford

With over 13,000 businesses in the Bedford area, there’s a lot of competition for the extra travellers, customers, and workers that Universal Studios UK will bring here.

Digital marketing is one of the best ways to stand out from the crowd. It’s affordable, it scales with your business, and there are several different channels of communication you can capitalise on, from search engine optimisation (SEO) to email marketing.

Whether you run a nursery in Newnham, a beauty salon in Brickhill, or a heating specialist in Harpur, here’s how to make the most of an upcoming influx of visitors.

1. Start now

While Universal Studios UK won’t open until 2031, it pays to start planning your digital marketing campaigns now.

Firstly, good digital marketing, especially SEO, takes time to get results. According to Ahrefs, 12% of businesses advise that SEO takes over a year to show optimal results. The broader the keywords you target and the more competition you have, the longer it can take.

Secondly, you can target other types of customers than just theme park visitors. Over 20,000 jobs are expected to be created during the construction period. This means you don’t have to wait until the ribbon is cut on the park to see an increase in organic traffic, leads, and conversions.

2. Know who you want to target

Universal Studios will attract a wide range of people from all walks of life to Bedford, from students looking for part-time employment to families wanting a thrill-packed holiday.

Knowing exactly who you want to attract to your business can help you create precise digital marketing that draws people in. While it may be tempting to say you want to appeal to everyone, this can often lead to mushy marketing that nobody pays attention to.

If you haven’t already done so, a good starting point is to define your target market and target audiences – those who are most likely to buy from you. Think about:

Who they are – how old they are, where they live, what they do for a living
What problems they have and how you can help solve them
The websites they visit and the social media platforms they use

Data is key – review your website analytics to see who is converting on your site and speak to both existing and prospective customers.

Don’t forget to consider international audiences as well as UK-based ones – it’s estimated that 30% of park visitors will come from outside of the UK. Transcreating your content can help share your brand message with people who speak different languages.

3. Partner with other businesses

Marketing can be hard, especially if you’re a small local business with an even smaller marketing budget. A great way to amplify your online presence and find new customers is to join forces with other companies in your area.

Of course, you don’t want to partner with your direct competitors. But you can collaborate with businesses in a similar niche that share your values. For example, if you sell cheese, buddy up with a business that sells wine. If you’re a hairdresser, work alongside a beauty therapist.

This can get you in front of new audiences and generate new marketing ideas that you might not have thought of before.

If you’re not sure who to connect with, try networking – either on social media platforms like LinkedIn or in the real world.

4. Make it easy for people to find you

Did you know that the first result in Google Search gets nearly 40% of all the clicks? The more visible you are in the search results, the more likely prospective customers are to find you, especially if they’re not looking for you by name.

A great starting point when it comes to SEO and driving brand awareness is to set up a free Google Business Profile (formerly known as a Google My Business profile).

All you need to do is claim your business and submit your information. This provides more context to Google, increasing the chance of ranking for the most relevant search results.

For example, if you’re a Bedford coffee shop that’s open late at night and has free WiFi, if someone is looking for those exact requirements, you’ll jump ahead in the rankings.

An optimised Google Business Profile also increases the chances of appearing in the ‘Snack Pack’ – the map at the top of the Google search results. This is a perfect way to stand out if someone is out and about, searching on their mobile phone.

Here are some bonus articles about SEO that will help you enhance your presence in Google, Bing, and other search engines.

5. Check your marketing campaigns

And finally, it’s vital to regularly check on your marketing campaigns. Look at what’s driving traffic to your website and helping you win conversions. You can then focus your time and resources on the campaigns that deliver results.

There are still many unknowns about Universal Studios UK. We don’t know what rides and shops there will be, which franchises will be represented in the park, and the knock-on effect on local transportation and commerce.

Keeping track of your marketing efforts means you can quickly adapt to the latest news and updates, meaning you always stay a step ahead of the competition.

Xigen: Your Bedford-based digital marketing agency

With over 20 years of experience working across the Bedford area, we’re perfectly placed to help your business grow.

Whether you need an SEO strategy, an email marketing campaign, or a brand-new eCommerce website, we have the local experience to help your business stand out from the crowd.